Afs-USA

Legal name: Afs-USA Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
391711417
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
1 800 AFS-INFO
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Academic Exchange

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$25,430,855
Expenses
$28,769,482
Assets
$22,280,645
Liabilities
$11,576,899

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

27 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TARA BOYCE-HOFMANN (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • TARA BOYCE-HOFMANN (PRESIDENT & CEO): $337,630 total reported compensation
  • KERI DOOLEY (EXECUTIVE VP, GOV'T RELATIONS): $226,864 total reported compensation
  • MICHELLE PINEDO (EXECUTIVE VP / CFO): $225,368 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To help prevent future conflict through cultural exchange and understanding.

What it reported doing in 2024

Afs-USA promotes intercultural learning through worldwide exchange programs for students and professionals. In so doing, it relies on volunteers in the united states to be host families and support afs participants and on the american school system to provide educational opportunities for participants. Afs-USA works primarily with afs organizations in more than 50 countries, which, in turn, select participants to come to the united states and which provide hosting situations for americans going abroad. Afs-USA is an independent, self-governed u.s. Organization and participates as a member of the global afs network through a partnership agreement signed with afs intercultural programs, inc. (continued in schedule o).for americans going abroad, afs-USA offers school year, semester, summer and a growing number of short programs. From the participant fees it collects, afs-USA provides selection, orientation, international travel, and liaison with afs offices abroad during the program. From these fees, it also pays the overseas afs partner a hosting fee to provide program services while the american participants are residing in the overseas country. Afs-USA also hosts participants from other countries on programs of varying lengths, including school year, semester or programs of shorter duration. For these programs, it collects a hosting fee from the sending afs organization and provides services such as finding host families, providing orientations, arranging domestic travel, and offering counseling support during the stay. Afs-USA sent 451 participants abroad in fy25.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 91% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 91
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 21
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 89.8%; rating input score 90
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.95 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -13.1%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.77; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.52; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.2%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.9% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2.3% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 6 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 89.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $25.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $338K · 27 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $149K reported
  • Consistency: 39 of 39 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 50/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 8/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 28/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 27/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 49/100.